Taylor Swift is sharing a hidden message about ‘Tortured Poets Department’ on Apple Music – here’s how to figure it out

15 April, 2024

Taylor Swift performs at Melbourne Cricket Ground on February 16, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Graham Denholm/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management)

Taylor Swift has sent fans on a mystery trail to uncover a secret message on Apple Music during the release week of her new album ‘The Tortured Poets Department’.

Apple has confirmed that one word a day will be hidden within Swift’s lyrics on the music streaming service. Each daily word will be found somewhere in Swift’s five playlists exclusively released on Apple Music last week, which relate to the five stages of heartbreak: denial (‘I Love You, It’s Ruining My Life’), anger (‘You Don’t Get to Tell Me About Sad‘), bargaining (‘Am I Allowed to Cry?’), depression (‘Old Habits Die Screaming’) and acceptance (‘I Can Do It With a Broken Heart’).

The full message will be unveiled on April 18, the day before Swift releases ‘The Tortured Poets Department’.

The first word was unveiled on Saturday (April 13), with Swift’s team Taylor Nation via an Instagram Story that seemed to glitch. Fans worked out that the first word was hidden in the lyrics of ‘Glitch’ from the ‘I Love You, It’s Ruining My Life’ playlist, in which the lyrics randomly capitalised the letters H, E, Y, B, E and R. Unscrambled, they formed the word ‘hereby.

The following day, Swifties uncovered the second word, which was hidden in the lyrics of ‘Peace’ – ‘conduct’.

‘The Tortured Poets Department’ will mark Swift’s 11th studio album. It follows her 2022 record ‘Midnights’, and more recently the singer’s re-recordings of ‘Speak Now’ and ‘1989’.

Meanwhile, Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy had to address rumours that Swift could appear in the film. She has been at the centre of speculation over a potential surprise appearance in the upcoming Marvel film as superhero Dazzler.

However, when asked by Entertainment Tonight about the rumours, Levy replied: “That is hardly confirmed nor denied in this interview. I’m going to literally walk out of the frame and save myself, otherwise Ryan [Reynolds]’s taking a hit [out] on me.”

Speaking about his own attendance of a game to support Swift’s boyfriend Travis Kelce last year, which helped fuel speculation, the director said: “All that’s known is that I went to a football game, and those hours were well-documented and that’s all I’m gonna say. What can I say? I think intrigue is fun.”

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